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A singer, dancer, and composer whose music defies categorisation, Ma Mhlongo, as Rudeboy Paul fondly refers to her, draws on various South African styles, such as Maskanda, Mbaqanga, Marabi and traditional Zulu songs. Born in Kwa Zulu, Natal, Busi Mhlongo grew up with a song on her lips. Her debut maskanda album for M.E.L.T.2000 in 1998 called Urban Zulu brought her international fame.

Touring internationally and bewitching audiences with her powerful stage presence and vocal prowess she has rightfully taken her seat in the musical arena as one of the most phenomenal and exciting musicians to have ever emerged from South Africa. Ranked alongside Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbulu and The Mohatella Queens, unique in becoming the first female to spread the maskanda vocal style internationally, Busi has been applauded by audiences the world over.
We like to thank all the artists who contributed remixes and original tracks for this album for their dedication, love and respect for the original compositions by Ma Busi and her co-composers Themba Ngcobo and the late Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi.

Music has always played a vital role in the peace and prosperity process of the new South Africa and a couple of generations later the youth of today is hungry to know about traditional and world music. It is not that our youngsters want to "steal" the music but rather honor artists like Ma Busi by giving new life to the important messages from artists like her. They are inventing the new sound, adding to the powerful message that made her a household name across the globe. This is the new sound of our youth! I have the privilege of being a temporary archive keeper of a lot of traditional music and so I am acutely aware that all that has been created does not belongs to us, but to the universe.
This remix album of our beloved Ma Busi Mhlongo comes at a time when the first worldÙs old fashioned financial-and political structures have crumbled, when crime in our beautiful country Azania is still rampant, when xenophobic attacks on foreigners have hit the international headlines, at a time when a large part of the country pins its hope on the 2010 FIFA World Cup but also at a time when the prime object is to reduce crime a goal that is amplified by the loss of our best friend and M.E.L.T.2000 associate Ananda Masset who gave his life in pursuit of peace.

In 1998, when we first released Busi Mhlongo's revolutionary album Urbanzulu, she asked for the people of Africa to calm, the appeal of this album remains the same and is to ask the people of Azania (South Africa) to PLEASE calm down and find peace and its own path again without further bloodshed. We ask the Azanians and non-Azanians to live together peacefully and to be united in a multiracial community-more than a decade into democracy we ask those in charge to put a lot more effort into achieving the goal of sustainable living in a country with a abundance of natural resources and endless beauty - a country that MUST become the African leader in combating corruption and become a shining example of how to feed all its people with the right diet to combat rampant illnesses like AIDS and TB.

We must not forget Desmond Tutu's dream of a happy Rainbow Nation and if you don't know what it is all about simply stretch out your hand to greet your neighbor... may the universe keep sending love and light upon the people of Azania until they all wake up with a smile on their faces.

Robert Trunz M.E.L.T.2000

Track List

1 >> Webaba (Black Coffee & Culoe de Song remix) 7:25

Composed and written by Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo and Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi by MELT2000 Publishing. NI Maphumulo and C Zulu by Soulistic Music Publishing.

2 >> UyephÙunembeza (Hip hop, dub mix by Monde Mkhizwana) 6:46

Composed and written by Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo, Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi and Monde Mkhizwana Produced and co-composed by Monde Mkhizwana Published by MELT 2000 Publishing SA and Wirelessheadz Productions Monde drums for Mudaland Funk group Kwani Experience and his favorite Music is Deep house, lounge, funk, hip hop (old school), drum & bass.
Apart from being an excellent drummer Monde made himself a great name as a remixer, engineer and producer with the release of No. 4 of the prestigious MELT remix series first released in 1995 and dubbed Music With No Name.
>> http://www.facebook.com/people/Monde-SandileMkhizwana/742046018

Licensed from Soulisitic Music. Composed by N.I. Maphumulo, Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo & Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi. Published by Soulistic Music & MELT 2000 Publishing SA. From the album Black Coffee Have Another One. One of South AfricaÙs most celebrated DJ's, full time musician and producer Nathi studied music at the Natal Techinkon in Durban. Black Coffee and his two mates from SHANA were first introduced to MELT 2000 by Zulu diva Busi Mhlongo. Black Coffee was chosen to participate in the Red Bull Academy in 2003 which jumpstarted the DJ scene only to be tracked down by SAB Miller a local promoter and owner of MO's Lounge where Black Coffee became a resident. Since then he worked on a number of local and international project and about to release his third solo albums featuring and remixing the likes of Hugh MasakelaÙs famous song Stimela, Thandiswa Mazwai,Mabi Thobejane, Busi Mhlongo, Shana and Mafikizolo.Style: Deep/Afro House, Soulful Lounge, Broken beat & Anything Soulful. >> http://www.myspace.com/realblackcoffee

4 >> Baba We (Deep) (Frederic Galliano) 6:37

Composed and written by Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo and Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi by MELT2000 Publishing and Frederic Galliano, Publishing by Frikyiwa La musique des maquis. Frédéric Galliano was born 1969 in Grenoble, France. Since the beginnings of Djing in 1994 and music productions in 96 he was first signed to the label F Communications, directed by Laurent Garnier and Éric Morand. FredericÙs first album "Espaces Baroques" was the first revelation from a research of what he calls the hybridization of electronic music and Jazz. After forming his own label. Frikyiwa the production of Sub Saharian artists started the project "The African Divas" attracted the European underground music press. Four years of voyages and research through West Africa resulted in a musical boarder free collaboration feast with 50 musicians and singers the first true fusion with house music and the traditional sounds of Western Africa. "The African Divas live" went on tour and shared the stage at Central Park, New York in 2000 with Les Nubians, Amadou and Mariam, The show went on to Tokyo, Moscow, Viennea only to finish with a 2005 through Central Africa. Frederic since developed a new electronic version of Kuduro which can be seen on >> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PL8vOo5YWQM
This is Frederic's third remix for MELT2000 and I would like to express my appreciation for his ongoing progressive work and wish him success with the new African Divas project that takes him to South Africa - what better than starting with a Busi Mhlongo remix! Welcome. . . Robert Trunz

Composed and arranged by Busi Mhlongo and M.F. Boshomane. Published by MELT 2000 Publishing SA. From the album Castro B - Fidelity. MZA047 Castro B. Castro B self thought musician and DJ was born in East Rand, Johannesburg. He introduced himself to music by making his own tin guitar at the age of 6 copying the tunes the elders in his township played in the streets. The strong influence of traditional music grew on him, Catro B got his first PC making his own tracks in playing and testing them out at parties in the hood. When his friend Philani Mabanga was invited to guest on KAYA FMÙs Friday AM comedy show he introduced his friend Castro B to DJ Pat Cash who himself is a great supporter of traditional music and the many artists who tend to be forgotten in the rich heritage of South Africa. Pat Cash became aware of Castro BÙs productions and introduced him to the rich MELT 2000 catalogue from which he remixed an album full of SA favorites working closely with AfricaÙs hottest veteran drummer and percussionist Mabi Thobejane. Composed by MF Boshomane, Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo & Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi. MELT 2000 Publishing SA. From the album Black Coffee - Black Coffee.

Composed and written by by Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo and Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi by MELT2000 Publishing and C. Zulu by Soulistic Music Publishing. Culoe de Song the fastest rising star on DJ and remix sky - Culoe works closely with DJ Black Coffee and is signed to his label Soulistic Music, check Culoe on >> ttp://www.myspace.com/culoedsong

9 >> Yintoni Na (Black Coffee & Busi Mhlongo) 6:01

Licensed from Soulisitic Music. Composed by N.I. Maphumulo, Busi Mhlongo, Themba Ngcobo & Mkhalelwa Spector Ngwazi. Published by Soulistic Music & MELT 2000 Publishing SA. From the album Black Coffee Have Another One.

10 >> Lua Lua (DJ Qness Zulu Warrior mix) 6:30

Composer Max Laesser and lyrics by Busi Mhlongo (published by Max Music CH). Original track from the album Max Laesser-Between on M.E.L.T.2000. Qness, born Qhubani Ndlovu is a prolific remixer and Producer living in Johannesburg. He has two current releases under his belt and is an avid lover of World Music and idolizes the sounds of Busi Mhlongo. This is just one of his many works to date - an ambassador of the African sound. >> Contact
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>> http://www.myspace.com/mrqness

11 >> Sibuza Indlela (Rudeboy Paul & the Legendary Busi Mhlongo) 5:43

Composed by Paul Mvulane Mnisi & Busi Mhlongo. Publishing by Rudeboy Productions and BM Publishing (SHEER). Licensed from Rudeboy Paul Productions originally released on the album Azanian Pulse Second Offering. Rudeboy Paul is a South African poet, musician, vocalist, emcee, presenter, DJ, actor and editor, best known to television audiences as the host of the music shows Jam Alley and Lilizela Mlilizeli. With the birth of the Voice of Soweto (a now defunct community radio station), Paul joined the station firstly as
a newsreader and later to host his own Saturday Breakfast Show on the station. As a guest on YFM in Rosebank, his show Groove Kamikaze had features like Youth Crossfire and Rap Activity Jam, a slot in which Rudeboy would give unrecorded underground Rap and Hip Hop artists the opportunity to voice out their talents and tunes on air. Rudeboy was chosen to present the popular Youth Music Show Jam Alley on SABC1, which gave him further accessibility and exposure to the very same market he was presenting to on radio. In 2002, Yfm took on a new look and feel, placing Rudeboy as a main prime time presenter, giving birth to the Kamikaze Heat (14h00-18h00), with co-host Unathi Nkayi. Under Azanian Pulse Rudeboy produced a couple of albums featuring two of his favored MELT2000 artists, Busi Mhlongo and Mabi Thobejane. He is currently the host of the SABC1 game show The Kids Are All Right, since May 2009.

Composed by Greg Hunter and Warrick Sony, vocals by Busi Mhlongo. Published by Copyright Control, FreeStateMusic Publishing & MELT2000 Publishing. A collaborative project with Greg Hunter, Kris Weston from the ORB and Brendan Jury for MELT 2000, released under the title "Turntabla " Greg played bass, berimbau, guitar, and did the string arrangement and original arrangement. Warrick played and programmed tabla, mridangam and did turntables and the UCT String Quartet played the strings. Doug Armstrong helped arrange strings. Brendan Jury played additional viola and processed viola. Main vocal by Busi Mhlongo. Backing singers from the Amampondo group. >> http://www.myspace.com/kalaharisurfers